Process for producing free cellulose fiber



Patented June 25, 1940 I PROCESS FOR PRODUCING FREE CELLULOSE FIBER George M. von Hassel, Berlin, Germany No Drawing. Application April 12, 1937, Serial No. 136,435. In Germany September 25, 1936 4 Claims. (01. 8-137) Thisinvention relates to a process. of profiber-containing material may be clipped, for ducing free cellulose fiber, from bodies adhering instance, with the aid of a jolting or dipping to it, such as lignine, lignified parts of tissue, sieve or immersing sieve, into the expanded or cuticular shreds, mineral impurities and the like, muddy mass of substances insoluble in water. and to obtain it in a non-matted or non-en- It is of importance, that the surface of the intangled condition dividual fibers be in some manner coated with a It has been suggested for the purpose of fine layer of powder or that intermediate layers roughening fibers to treat them with sharpbe formed between the fibers, so as to have the cornered powder grains. Such procedure will fibers remain separated from one another durlo necessarily greatly weaken and shorten the fine ing the dryingprocess.

small fibers and not prevent premature matting Prior to drying the mixed expanded mass may or tangling thereof. be freed, as far aspossible, from the water or According to this invention fiber-containing the expanding or dilating liquid employed, for materials, containing long or short fibers, or both, instance, by centrifugal action or filtering or are prevented from getting matted or are unthe like. The drying may take place by means 1" tangled by causing the raw cellulose material or of direct admission of heat or by' a current of fiber-containing material, to expand or swell Warm air. together with powdery or grain-shaped bodies, The dry mass is advantageously disintegrated, insoluble in water, such as chalk, kaolin, infor instance, by means of sieves, into fibers and 50 fusorial ea t sand, wood shavings or the like, the added powder or granular material. This whereupon the mass is dried and by mea s o is followed by passing the already considerably currents or other gas currents, or eddies ,exertcleaned fiber-containing material through a Sysing a p e g Suction effect, are directed tem of sieves arranged in succession, by the 'aid through a S es Of sieves having Varying Sizes of air currents or other gas currents or eddies :5 and forms Of meshes to adapt them to the diexertin a pressing or ucking action mensions of the fi e to be handled or The sieves are provided with meshes of varying tained, in such a m n t the added sizes and shapes, suited to the fiber-containing stances and impurities Wil1 be removed and the material and the impurities, so as to attain comfibers will be dep as Straight-lined as plete separation of the fibers from other bodies.

i0 sible. The fiber-containing material to Automatic selection or sortin of ure fiber is handled may be obtained bym of any 1 for instance, attained by i ntergosing si ves: mtegratm 1005en 1g Process- Before belpg which, for instance, have meshes of rectangular passed through the Slevesthe g i shape in connection with a certain width since may f from q of the added S ances a pure fiber, liberated from lignine or silicic acid in interfering with matting, and from the natural I and the like, behaves different when passing ii v i ilg sii ti igi'e,iir$f wfii fi through sieves underrressure or i n action the fiber-containing material is passed, prefer- ,F a g mlstancei a llgnified fiberably, has all or some of its sieves connected with 5 W1 e f Product a fiber-contaml0 a source oi. electricity. mg matenflli Whlch be flaky bh, nd

In this Way the individual fibers-win be sepa free from ligmfied parts of tissue, cuticular shreds rated from one another and kept separated durother I ing the entire drying process. Further treatment T klnd of sieving Will er result in condoes not require any violent mechanical tearof the speclal form of the meshes, or ing apart of the fiber material, for instance, by lnstanqeof re r forn 1. adapted to the means of the breaker or teaser, or combing which fiber$, 1n dep s he e s laid out in th a would result in damaging the individual fibers. directlvn. behmd P following sieve. A mixed expanded or muddy mass may be ob- If a sieve of the usual kind with square meshes tained by converting the fiber-containing matee used, all the fibers, not y the flexible 0 rial into an expanded mass and then mixing this cellulose fibers or pure fibers, but also the rigid 5o expanded mass with an expanded mass consisting lignified fibers would P ugh the sieves of more or less grain-shaped or powder-shaped wi h rre p nd W h f m shes, so that substances, insoluble. in water, as, for instance, there can be no selection or sorting. If square chalk, kaolin, iniusoriai earth, coloring matter, meshes of a certain narrowness are used, a pad & sand, wood shavings and the like. Instead, the would form under the action of air pressure, r

which would contain the flexible pure fibers and at the same time also the lignifled fibers.

It is of advantage to have among the sieves arranged in succession, also some which are in contact with the poles of a source of electricity. This will augment the sieving efiect owing to the fact, that the electric attracting capacity acts diiferent on fibrous substance than on mineral impurities. t

For the purpose of augmenting the action of the sieves the latter may be moved mechanically against the air current or in such a manner, that the mass contained in the sieves will be continually agitated so that the air channels forming in the massagain and again will be clogged thereby. The transporting gas current will in this way be continually acting on the entire mass, thus accelerating the selection or sorting.

The operation of the invention, which from the standpoint of manufacture will be very simple and cheap, will take place in the following manner:

The fiber-containing material, irrespective of its origin or form at the time will be expanded or dilated or transformed to a mud and in this condition is placed into a dipping sieve and re peatedly dipped into a watery expanded mass of chalk, kaolin, infusorial earth, sand, Wood shavings or the like, until a sample taken therefrom shows, that the surface of the fibers is coated with chalk powder or the like or the interstices are filled'up with the powder material or granular material.. i

The mass consisting of fibers and chalk is freed by means of afine sieve, a filter oracentrifugal separator or the like from water as much as' the like so that the powdery chalk or the like is detached from the fibers and passes through the sieves.

While the powdered chalk or the like may be used for further expanded masses, the fiber-containing material passes for further selection or sorting or for cleaning purposes through a series of moving sieves arranged in succession, some of which are connected with a source of electricity, the sieves having meshes of varying sizes and shape, corresponding, respectively, to the product to be obtained or to the length of the fiber, fineness of de-fibring and the desired selection. The fiber-containing material is transported through this sieve arrangement by means of air currents or other gas currents, with graduated pressing or sucking action.

I claim:

1. Process for freeing cellulose fiber from adhering impurities, such as lignine and the like, and obtaining the fiber in unmatted condition, comprising taking a mass of raw, mechanically disintegrated, fibrous vegetable matter containing impurities and working into said mass finely divided, water-insoluble material and water to form a mud, drying said mud and then blowing said dried mud through a series of sieves through which the finely divided material and impurities pass while the fibers are retained on said sieves.

2. Process according to claim 1, in which the step of working the fibrous matter and finely divided, water-insoluble material into a mud is performed by dipping the fibrous matter into a mixture of the finely divided material and water.

3. Process according to claim 1, and before the drying step, freeing the mud to some extent of thewater content thereof.

4. Process according to claim 1, and before blowing the dried mixture through the series of sieves, mechanically agitatingthe mixture on a sieve to separate most of the finely divided material and impurities from the fiber.

GEORGE M. VON HASSEL. 

